I have read many good books before, but never one quite like the book by Caroline B. Cooney, Among Friends. Jenny, an average-looking teenage girl, is shunned by Emily and Hillary, her two best friends, as she continuously strives to be perfect by achieving high goals.

I really enjoyed this book for two reasons: (1) It's written in a diary-type form, which gave me a break from reading books that follow the normal format of paragraph after paragraph with a bit of dialogue inserted here and there. AND (2) It outlines the message that striving for perfection is okay, so long as you don't let "over-ambition" control your life. n